Yes, this 1940 masterpiece shows Chaplin in all his verbal glory. In fact, the film’s closing speech left me… well… speechless myself. I’d love to quote the whole thing to you but I’m afraid you’re just going to have to watch the entire film to the very end to see what I am talking about. After all, that’s where the true joy of this film lies and I’d hate to steal it from you before you’ve even seen it! Let’s just put it this way – he gives Churchill, Martin X and all the other great historical orators a run for their gut-stirring money.

So… while we’re waiting for you to get around to watching it yourself, I’ll mention a couple of other things…

It is an epic and intensely depressing film. Although it displays many minor historical inaccuracies in what is otherwise a true story, no doubt its depressing nature stems from how closely it resembles the World War II reality in so many ways.

‘The Pianist’ plays out much like any World War II true story; It is a story about humanity punctuated by scenes of graphic violence and inhumanity.

The film follows the true life story of Polish Jew Wladyslaw Szpilman, who was famous in his day as possibly the most accomplished pianist in all of Europe.

Watching this blemish on our collective World history play out is like sitting in a darkened corner recalling all the vilest, most horrible and embarrassing things we’ve ever done in our lives over and over again, with absolutely nothing to do about it but sit there, rocking back and forth, crying, “Why? Why? Why?!”